Sister Candys Venport brings Valya to see Sister Anna, who has been meditating before a panel of burrowing insects. Anna has somehow made part of the nematode hive form perfectly straight, perpendicular tunnels, much like her earlier influence over fogwood trees in the Imperial garden. Valya is surprised and reassesses Anna as immature but potentially useful if her mental abilities can be guided.

Before Valya can take Anna to Reverend Mother Raquella, Dorotea arrives and summons Valya to a private meeting with selected Sisters. Dorotea excludes Anna, leaving the Emperor’s sister hurt and jealous, then leads Valya through the largely empty tunnels of Rossak’s cliff city to a windowless room where nine other women are waiting.

Dorotea tells the group that Reverend Mother Raquella may have lost her way. The gathered Sisters, including Perianna, Esther-Cano, Ninke, and Woodra, fear that Raquella’s apparent sympathy for Machine Apologists will damage the Sisterhood’s reputation and corrupt its purpose of strengthening women without reliance on machines. Valya outwardly acts cautious and thoughtful while privately deciding she should report the conspiracy to Raquella.

The discussion turns more dangerous when Esther-Cano mentions rumors of hidden thinking machines on Rossak. Valya is genuinely alarmed because the rumor points toward the Sisterhood’s secret breeding computers, the very secret Ingrid died trying to expose. Valya dismisses the rumor as Butlerian hysteria, then listens while Dorotea explains that her time studying Manford Torondo and Rayna Butler’s speeches convinced her of the anti-machine cause.

Afterward, Valya reports the meeting to Raquella. Raquella gravely instructs Valya to keep befriending the faction and notes that Valya has a natural talent for deception. Rather than condemning Valya, Raquella frames lying as a tool that can serve the Sisterhood’s truth, acknowledges Valya’s desire to redeem House Harkonnen, and suggests that Valya could become especially powerful if she were made a Reverend Mother.